Azerbaijan is hosting an anti-French conference, according to local media reports.
Titled “French policy of neocolonialism in Africa”, the conference focused on what Azerbaijan’s describes as Paris’ “continued meddling in the affairs of its former colonies in Africa”.
In the past year, Azerbaijan has launched an “anti-colonial” disinformation campaign against France.
An RFE/RL investigation discovered in June that several individuals with links to Azerbaijan's ruling party were involved in what appeared to have been a coordinated social media campaign targeting France over the unrest in the French-ruled Pacific island of New Caledonia.
Dozens of accounts on X, formerly Twitter, were suspended for spreading the disinformation, namely misleading photos and videos, RFE/RL has learned, after similar accusations leveled by French officials.
Following the digital trail of some of the suspended accounts, RFE/RL was able to uncover details of those linked to them, including their roles or positions in the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), which is led by President Ilham Aliyev.